ceramic wall delineates la riera de la salut by pol femenias

pol femenias arquitectes remodels la riera de la salut
all images © O.M. estudi

‘remodelacion de la riera de la salut’ (remodeling work at riera de la salut) has been announced as the winning architectural project of the ASCER tile of spain awards at the 2014 CEVISAMA trade fair in valencia. located in a working class region of sant feliu de llobregat – in the province of barcelona – the project has both urban and social benefits, responding to the region’s historical and economic context. completed by pol femenias arquitectes, the judging panel praised the solution of a large-scale problem through the creation of small ceramic pieces, an affordable intervention that enhances an important space within the spanish city.

located in a neighborhood that sprang up around the town’s former manufacturing warehouses, the scheme encircles the textile factories that once provided employment for local residents. following the demolition of one of the site’s last remaining factories, an underground car park was built to serve the district, (known as ‘la salut’), leaving a large concrete covered void where the works once stood.

the 150m facade consists of around 15,000 individual pieces

previously hidden, the emptiness left by the old factory and the exposed elevations of the houses are represented as the new façade of the public space. the choice of ceramics as a material to clad the old walls was natural. the strong and inexpensive tiles proved to be an ideal solution, guaranteeing optimal aging in response to frost, rain and temperature fluctuation. it was the design team’s intention to recover the site’s industrial past, through a new structure that incorporated the richness of the previous partition. a collage of textures and apertures reflect the different states and interventions that the city had experienced over time.

a collage of textures and apertures reflect the different states the city has experienced over time

through determining a simple geometry with the fewest parts possible, a 150 meter wall was established, maintaing its connection with the neighboring properties. the ceramic partition also needed to preserve the varying degrees of opacity, incorporating different textures, and providing continuous finish throughout the park. after rigorous testing procedures, it was decided that the self-supporting structure would consist of only three pieces: a 20x20x20cm cube and a 20×13x5cm rhombus (opaque or perforated). the cube allowed an optimization of the production, as it worked in both opaque and transparent forms depending on the side it was placed on. the assembly of these three pieces allowed an almost organic coronation of the wall. the color range for the ceramic blocks was taken from the previous wall, reducing the rear façades to seven predominant tones.

the herringbone layout creates an organic parapet that traces the changing heights of the enclosure

the proposal extended the walls of the existing properties, shaping each parterre of the adjacent public park. the landscaped space is composed of smaller scale, domestic areas allowing the visitor to feel at home. thus, each section is designed uniquely in both plan and section, creating topographies that shelter the occupant from the passing street.

the glazed ceramic pieces were fired at a high temperature